The Time Trial Thread

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Discussion

okgo

Original Poster:

37,847 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Given there seems to be much more interest in this side of the sport, be good to get everyone in one place perhaps (a bit like the wattage thread?).

Where do we all do time trials? I tend to stick to the Surrey/Hants area with a few exceptions, and I tend to ride 10 mile TT's and 25 mile as at present the bike isn't all that comfortable to ride for longer (in anger) due to the saddle, but I've not found a TT specific saddle I like yet, adamo wasn't for me.

Be interesting to know what bikes everyone is riding on too, perhaps can generate some chat about how much time people saved from moving to this that or the other etc - I'm on a Trek Speed Concept (stupid name) with HED wheels 90mm and disc.

And PB's? I'm sure we've got some fast testers lurking in our midst...

PulsatingStar

1,715 posts

247 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Its my clubs first evening 10 Thursday on G10/57 (Horsham/Crawley) so I intend on beating my PB. It shouldnt be too hard as my one and only attempt was on New Years Day and the weather conditions were pretty bad, but I have 28.08 as a marker.

Im just going to be riding by BMC TMR01 road bike, although I have got some clip on tri bars now with Di2 shifters. Also some Planet X 101/82 Tubs that I bought on a whim as it seemed like a good deal when I bought them. And then I got a fancy helmet last week just because I wanted one. I have promised myself I wont get a full on TT bike until I go <24. We'll see if I can get there...

okgo

Original Poster:

37,847 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
PulsatingStar said:
Its my clubs first evening 10 Thursday on G10/57 (Horsham/Crawley) so I intend on beating my PB. It shouldnt be too hard as my one and only attempt was on New Years Day and the weather conditions were pretty bad, but I have 28.08 as a marker.

Im just going to be riding by BMC TMR01 road bike, although I have got some clip on tri bars now with Di2 shifters. Also some Planet X 101/82 Tubs that I bought on a whim as it seemed like a good deal when I bought them. And then I got a fancy helmet last week just because I wanted one. I have promised myself I wont get a full on TT bike until I go <24. We'll see if I can get there...
Ah quite local to my old club ten course!! (G10/42).

I've pencilled in a possible event on the one you mention in a couple of weeks, but its a bloody early start, even though I'll likely be one of late starters!

nammynake

2,587 posts

172 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I fancy having a go at a 10 this year. I've been riding for 3 years but never got round to doing a TT. Have a good sense of pacing based on heart rate (from long climbs abroad) but only have power on my turbo (Wahoo Kickr). Probably won't bother with clip-on bars, will just get low on the hoods.

Flat courses won't suit me but I'll have a crack!

Celtic Dragon

3,160 posts

234 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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As 1 of those who are tentatively dipping toes in the murky and expensive world of ITT's, I'll chip in.


I'm currently 86.7kgs and riding a Ribble Sportive road bike, no aero anything smile I did my first Club 10 in 34mins 59, I predicted I'd be on a 35, so was spot on, pity I wanted a 29:59 time!

This was the first run of the season, so by the end of summer I'm targeting 25's for the 10. Ambitious I know, but if you aim higher than you would be happy with, you don't get complacent when you hit something you're happy with.

Want to be on 28's before going aero, thus giving me chance to save up the money for the TT bike. Once I can get my time down to something respectible, I may start doing local ITT's (Herts, Beds, and Cambridgeshire)


Edit: I am in the vicinity of Bedford, and ride with Ashwell CC.

Edited by Celtic Dragon on Tuesday 28th April 15:27

neenaw

1,212 posts

188 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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This should make interesting reading.

I've never rode a TT before but I'm planning on trying my local Wednesday night 10's this year as it's something I've always fancied having a crack at.
It's a fairly flat course and I'll be aiming for somewhere around the 27 minute mark on my non-aero Trek Domane with full non-aero kit! I'd like to be able to get down t the 25 minute mark but I'll have to wait and see how I get on first.

SixPotBelly

1,922 posts

219 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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First TT tonight. A low-key 'hilly' club 10 around country lanes.

I'll be riding 10Kg of ally Synapse with a stack of spacers. Just want to test myself. Push as hard as I can sustain for 30-odd minutes and set a time which I can then chip away at each time I go back. A yardstick against which to measure improvements over the year.

speciald

30 posts

170 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Doing my first one of 2015 tonight on a bike I've borrowed with a view to buy.

First one on a TT bike, hoping for a PB smile Fastest time last year was 25:19 or thereabouts.

stongle

5,910 posts

161 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I do the Gravesend Cyclopark 10m TT whenever its on / fits around kids. best time is 27.05, but its a twisty track circuit (and for some reason I think that the record is pretty slow in the 23s I think). The local Brands Hatch TT circuit more traditional will be having a crack at that soon, should be <25 on a road bike. Having a bit of a faff at the moment with Helmets. For faster rides I have an Evade (but its a bit uncomfortable); I just got a POC Octal RaceDay; might be interesting to see if it makes any difference (LBS telling me they thought it was more aero given the size of the vents which are pretty huuuuge to be fair!).

Herman Toothrot

6,702 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Booked to do my 1st 10TT in ~22years this coming Thursday night it's CC241 a flat bypass route that doubles back on itself so all the way round 4 x roundabouts. I did my 1st practice last night and clocked 28min 17sec riding my Planet X Pro Carbon Ultegra that's standard except for some wide Easton EA70 rims.

whatleytom

1,272 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Will probably start TT'ing more as I get a bit stronger.

Happy with a couple of 10.35m TT's I did recently at Hillingdon.

24:41 on the TT bike
23:57 on the road bike (faster conditions)

Interested on opinions as to how that will translate to a time on a proper dual carriageway 10TT?

Still unsure whether its worth me keeping my TT bike though. Had used it previously a lot for triathlons but rarely gets a ride now, and it seems I can come pretty close on the road bike all things considered.

Wish I'd not gone for fancy carbon aero road bars now though, as it would be good to add some extensions and Di2 shifters to get more aero on the road bike.

Edited by whatleytom on Tuesday 28th April 16:14

okgo

Original Poster:

37,847 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
I think on a normal course, hillingdon is still marginally technical, not to the same extent as cyclopark which is really quite slow (windy too!), and getting on a TT bike with a decent set up on a dual carriageway should prove its worth. I think when I switched my best time on a road bike like yours, aero etc to my TT bike I was immediately a minute faster, and probably like for like conditions it would have been more like 80 seconds, straight off the bat, and my position and skinsuit etc then was a fair bit slower than it is now.

I think a fair bit of it comes down to how well you can get on with TT position, I was lucky in that it didn't hinder me too much, but some others I know never managed to do as well on TT bikes as they did with their road bikes with TT bars attached purely as it hindered them too much.

I can't remember when my first normal TT is this year but if you want to try a normal DC then H10/8 is fairly close and good, I think its in a couple of weeks, hopefully can get things started with a bang, set some aggressive targets on the local courses this year.

Steve vRS

4,836 posts

240 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I will hopefully having a crack at the Kilton TT next Wednesday. My problem is with working away a lot, I may only be able to do a few and so improvements will be limited. That and the fact that I am crap biggrin

It will be on my Giant Defy 1, wearing my PH top and will be employing the arse up, head down approach biggrin

Steve

MC Bodge

21,551 posts

174 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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In the near future, I'm planning to have a crack at a DIY 10 TT on my Kinesis Racelight up & down a convenient local 5 mile stretch of bypass with a roundabout at the end, to get a baseline time.

I'm reasonably fit, but not expecting to be quick.

Averaging over 20mph solo both ways on a normal road bike sounds difficult. On a longer, solo circular route I'm more like 17-18mph.

I suppose the trick is not to set off too hard and not to use too big or small a gear.


Edited by MC Bodge on Tuesday 28th April 20:59

Dizeee

18,166 posts

205 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I've done countless 10's on my Merak and started doing them in 2013. Really need to do a 25 now as I regularly ride hard for over an hour. There doesn't seem to be so many of these though unlike the 10's of which there are usually 3 a week!

I have done the Charloteville HCC123A ( I think ) the most, starting Normandy through Pirbright and finishing Aldershot Road. It is a weird course as you have to negotiate four seperate mini roundabouts 5 times which is not always easy to just carry on through, plus a few T junctions, and these alone can mean that the result's you get from one TT to another can vary enough to confuse any progress. When I started I was late 26 mins, I last did the course July last year and my best was 25:10. That was on a standard road bike, standard everything and shallow rims.

I have done the Bentley Course once and am now aiming to return and do this more as it is a FAR better course. One roundabout to negotiate which is large and no junctions, plus 5 miles one direction and 5 miles the other, so much more in line with what a decent course should be. Did that in Autumn last year, exactly the same setup on the bike and managed 23:10 on my first go. I would have thought that would be improvable simply by knowing the course better now.

The Hounslow course in Chobham is also local but I have never made it to one of these. I will try to this year though.

I this year now have my deeper section rims, plus an aero road helmet, plus I believe a better position on the Merak, so I am looking forward to returning to both courses and seeing what I can do. The bike already feels faster and I am already seeing PR's cropping up all over the place, so I would hope to be able to go sub 25 on the Normandy course as well as 22 something on the Bentley course which I would be happy with on my set up. One thing I seem to always get on the local course having done it around 12 times is consistency, I am always at around the same time give or take 40 seconds. I found wearing overshoes shaves 15 seconds off it was that run that gave me my PB on that course.

I really enjoy TT's, nothing like racing against yourself / the clock and love having a number on my back. Don't like fighting a rear Knog light to maximum stretch over my aero seat post though!

Edited by Dizeee on Tuesday 28th April 19:53

m444ttb

3,160 posts

228 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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I fancy having a go at a time trial and I'm strongly considering buying a TT bike for triathlons. I have taken part in a duathlon where the bike section is the same as the 10 mile TTs they run at Castle Combe circuit. Managed that in 29 mins. Hopefully I could manage a little bit better now I'm a touch fitter and without the run beforehand.

Daveyraveygravey

2,018 posts

183 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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There's a TT on the bypass outside Steyning where I live, may give it a go some time soon. Not sure I want to like it though, can't justify any more expense having just bought a Propel.

whatleytom

1,272 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
okgo said:
I think on a normal course, hillingdon is still marginally technical, not to the same extent as cyclopark which is really quite slow (windy too!), and getting on a TT bike with a decent set up on a dual carriageway should prove its worth. I think when I switched my best time on a road bike like yours, aero etc to my TT bike I was immediately a minute faster, and probably like for like conditions it would have been more like 80 seconds, straight off the bat, and my position and skinsuit etc then was a fair bit slower than it is now.

I think a fair bit of it comes down to how well you can get on with TT position, I was lucky in that it didn't hinder me too much, but some others I know never managed to do as well on TT bikes as they did with their road bikes with TT bars attached purely as it hindered them too much.

I can't remember when my first normal TT is this year but if you want to try a normal DC then H10/8 is fairly close and good, I think its in a couple of weeks, hopefully can get things started with a bang, set some aggressive targets on the local courses this year.
Entered one on H10/8 on 23rd May so will see how I go there.

Surfr

629 posts

194 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
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Great idea for a thread.

I'd been riding my local club 10s for a couple of years when I decided to try open events. I'm in Mid Wales so my local events are 2 hours away usually around Abergavenny. Being a bit of a weirdo, I thought my first open event should be..... The Welsh 12 hour championship. Oh well. Baptism of fire. It was a beautiful sunny day and the legendary WCA support was fantastic. From cornettos of cold rice pudding, to cold wet sponges it was all hugely appreciated. I got caught out by my saddle attempting to sever me from the bks up at about 9 hours and spent 90 mins off the bike. Eventually hopping back on and recording just over 200 miles for the 12 hours. I got off the bike with a serious feeling of accomplishment but had a feeling I could do better.

After my legs recovered. I entered the WCA 100, 50 and 10. And completed them all in satisfactory times. I think I bought an Adamo around then too. I'd not been happy with my time off the bike in the WCA 12 so entered the national champs as it was only across the border in Shropshire. I put in a much better performance and only spent 9 minutes off the bike which was pretty much spent replacing bottles and gels from the car boot at prees Heath and taking a couple of piss breaks. I was unsupported so had a bowl of water and a sponge in the. Out for de-salinating my face too. No saddle issues this time. Adamo worked wonders. Ended up with 231.9 miles much happier. But now wondering what it takes to get to 250.

I did the Welsh 10 a week later but the legs hadn't recovered and I only managed a 24:34. Equal to my local club 10 PB but on a DC R10/7 where I should have been faster.

Since then I've barely ridden at all. Had our first child and joined the RAF reserves so fitness was focused in passing the various tests thrown at us during application. I'm now through all that and parenthood has settled down. Entered my local club 10'last weds and did a mid 28. My course PB is some 4 mins quicker so plenty of room for improvement but it's good to be back!

I ride a Planet X stealth with a 54t osymetric big ring on 165mm cranks. Mixture of 105/ultegra an adamo road saddle and Planet X 50mm tubs. Leant the disk to a mate this season as he'll be faster than me!

Welsh 100 Mile TT Championship by Surfrdan, on Flickr





okgo

Original Poster:

37,847 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th April 2015
quotequote all
Respect. I do admire the nutters who do the 12/24's!!!